Tire Wear

[katzjamr]

my tire pressure has always been between 32 and 34, they were 40 from the factory, i corrected that upon delivery in front of the salesman with a digital tire gauge. i asked the technician who examined my tires at the dealer if he saw any inflation issues that could cause this wear and he said no. if anything my tires have been a hair on the high side to possibly help with mpg.

[atebit]

Keep in mind that there will almost always be a dramic improvement when worn tires are replaced. Back a few years ago, we had Sumitomo tires installed on our van after the worn Michelins started sounding very "rough". We were in heaven for at least one year, as the new Sumitomos were much quieter. Unfortunately, that didn't last long and after two years, the Sumis were ready for the scrap pile.

So, is there a requirement that we have to replace with the same low-profile tires, or can we replace with a "standard-profile" tire?

[RX400h]

So, is there a requirement that we have to replace with the same low-profile tires, or can we replace with a "standard-profile" tire?

There are certain requirements that you should stick to:

1) Since the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combo must remain close to that of the OEM setup, using higher-profile tires would require a smaller diameter wheel.

2) The tire's load rating should match or exceed that of the OEM tire.

3) The tire's speed rating should be at least that of the OEM tire's speed rating.

Personally, I would not want to use higher-profile tires, simply because handling and steering response would suffer. The ride may become softer, but at the expense of handling.

[Colo Springs RX400h]

Just to reinforce what others have said, check your tire pressure after delivery from the dealer. After reading the posts here, I checked mine this weekend, and they were at 44 psi. Mine were higher than what others have found probably because I'm at 6500 feet above sea level. Checking the tire pressure must not be on their checklist to check before delivery.

Does anyone have an idea of why Lexus is shipping them with this high pressure? Could it have to do with making them ship better?

[RX400h]

My dealership told me that the tires are over-pressurized in Japan to avoid flat-spotting during the long trip to the US. The dealership is supposed to deflate them to specified pressure as part of their prep work.

[Husker4theSpurs]

My first set on my RX 330 wore greatly on the inside as well.

[LexRexBlue]

Changing the subject a little, has anyone tried Dunlop tires? I was surprised that they were at Taste of Lexus instead of Michelin. I never heard of Dunlops on the RX 400h or even other Lexuses. Yet they have recommendations listed in the handout.

[SW03ES]

Actually Dunlop has a longer history with Lexus than Michelin. It used to be either Dunlops or Bridgestones that came OEM on a Lexus.

I've had experience with two Dunlop models on a 98 LS400, the SP Sport 4000 and the SP Sport 5000. Both were extremely smooth and quiet tires, probably the smoothest and quietest out of any tires I've ever had. However, treadwear was 15-20k at best.

[Gryphon]

Roland. Those Michelin prices sound high. Do you have access to Costco or Discount Tire in your area. If so, I'd get similar quotes.

Tom

[skyfish400h]

Changing the subject a little, has anyone tried Dunlop tires? I was surprised that they were at Taste of Lexus instead of Michelin. I never heard of Dunlops on the RX 400h or even other Lexuses. Yet they have recommendations listed in the handout.

I ran two sets of Perelli's on my Supra and then switched to Dunlop. There were lowprofile performance tires.

I did not care for the cushier ride of the Dunlop. They seems soft and unresponsive compared to the Perelli's, which I never felt were harsh at all, and were very grippy. The Dunlops seem to be wearing better tho, when I sold the car they still had a good amount of tread on them with at least 15k on them.

On thing I did notice different was that the Dunlop had more of a crown to the tread, where the Perelli's were flat across. I think this contibuited to the mushy feel.

[anthonyiez]

w/o reading the entire thread...

i have been seeing premature tire wear on all hybrid vehicles. while i don't have an answer for you, i can say that i'm not surprised.

[RX400h]

w/o reading the entire thread...

i have been seeing premature tire wear on all hybrid vehicles. while i don't have an answer for you, i can say that i'm not surprised.

Why? Is there some design issue that you feel is causing this to happen?

[anthonyiez]

i mean i'm not surprised that the rx400h would wear tires as well. like i said i don't have a real answer.

[retired00]

i mean i'm not surprised that the rx400h would wear tires as well. like i said i don't have a real answer.

One answer may be simple: The Goodyear Eagle RS-A on mine only has a treadwear rating on the sidewall of 260. I have an '06 Avalon, as well, with a Michelin MXV4 S-8 that has a 400 treadwear rating. The tire just is not a long-wearing model. I had the same Goodyear tire on a Mercedes sedan in the past and it only got 17k miles.

[SW03ES]

w/o reading the entire thread...

i have been seeing premature tire wear on all hybrid vehicles. while i don't have an answer for you, i can say that i'm not surprised.

Premature wear has nothing to do with the hybrid system, it makes no difference as far as tires are concerned. Go to the Prius board, no mention of premature wear there.

What it DOES have to do with is the fact that most OEM tires suck to begin with, and low profile tires such as those on the RX have a exponentially shorter life expectancy.

Like retired said, the Goodyears are just *BLEEP*ty tires. If you got the Michelins you were lucky. I wasn't so lucky when I got my ES either, back then they either came with Michelin MXV4s (good tires) or Bridgestone Potenza RE92s (some of the worst tires money can buy). I got the Bridgestones.

[RX400h]

i mean i'm not surprised that the rx400h would wear tires as well. like i said i don't have a real answer.

One answer may be simple: The Goodyear Eagle RS-A on mine only has a treadwear rating on the sidewall of 260. I have an '06 Avalon, as well, with a Michelin MXV4 S-8 that has a 400 treadwear rating. The tire just is not a long-wearing model. I had the same Goodyear tire on a Mercedes sedan in the past and it only got 17k miles.

As I mentioned before, it is not uncommon for Tire manufacturers to supply car manufacturers with good-handling (therefore, soft, sticky thread), and quiet tires that do not last long. The manufacturers know full well that the tires perform well only for a short number of miles; chances are, they are getting them at a low price. A Discount tire salesman told me that most tire manufacturers make tires like this - some Michelins last only 10-15,000 miles, but perform extremely well while they last. It is really unfair to single out one manufacturer. Goodyear makes very long-lasting tires that are consistently top-rated by magazines such as Car & Driver and Consumer Reports. I have had excellent experiences with Their GS D3 tires.

Dave

[retired00]

i mean i'm not surprised that the rx400h would wear tires as well. like i said i don't have a real answer.

One answer may be simple: The Goodyear Eagle RS-A on mine only has a treadwear rating on the sidewall of 260. I have an '06 Avalon, as well, with a Michelin MXV4 S-8 that has a 400 treadwear rating. The tire just is not a long-wearing model. I had the same Goodyear tire on a Mercedes sedan in the past and it only got 17k miles.

As I mentioned before, it is not uncommon for Tire manufacturers to supply car manufacturers with good-handling (therefore, soft, sticky thread), and quiet tires that do not last long. The manufacturers know full well that the tires perform well only for a short number of miles; chances are, they are getting them at a low price. A Discount tire salesman told me that most tire manufacturers make tires like this - some Michelins last only 10-15,000 miles, but perform extremely well while they last. It is really unfair to single out one manufacturer. Goodyear makes very long-lasting tires that are consistently top-rated by magazines such as Car & Driver and Consumer Reports. I have had excellent experiences with Their GS D3 tires.

Dave

I really don't think I did "single out one manufacturer". I singled out the Goodyear Eagle RS-A with a treadwear rating of 260. Same tire I had on a 2001 Mercedes. Just a low treadwear rated tire.

[RX400h]

Hey, I was picking on Steve, not you!

[RX in NC]

My experience with tires over the past decade or so has convinced me that while all tire manufacturers make and sell some lousy tire models, Goodyear has turned lousy tire models into their primary business model (particularly in their SUV/truck tire lines). For example, the Wrangler tire series is offered in at least a half-dozen models, and every single one of them suffers from lousy treadwear and horrible rain performance regardless of the tire care provided by the owner.

If you're looking for overpriced tires that deliver short-lived and outright dangerous wet weather performance, you can't go wrong with Goodyear....

[RX400h]

While this may have been true many years ago, it is certainly not today, at least for the majority of non-OEM Goodyear tires. As I mentioned previously, Goodyear has been receiving accolades of awards as of late. If you are a sportscar enthusiest, you probably already know that there is no better than the GSD3 when it comes to all-around performance on dry or wet roads.

[SW03ES]

Hey, I was picking on Steve, not you!

Oh, me? LOL

Same story then, I wasn't singling out any one specific manufacturer. All I was saying was given the choice of this one model Michelin and this one model Goodyear owners who get the Michelin are lucky. Michelin makes some crappy tires too, everybody does. The MXV4 tires are not though.

[RX400h]

I'll probably be looking for tires by our Rx's 2nd birthday. I'm the type that researches things to death before buying. Of course, we need to put things in perspective, too. I have a 1989 Mazda MX6 GT-Turbo and given its age, I will not buy $100 tires for it.....$70, maybe.......

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

w/o reading the entire thread...

i have been seeing premature tire wear on all hybrid vehicles. while i don't have an answer for you, i can say that i'm not surprised.

So, does that mean you work at a dealership serving all hybrids ... and that's why you are not surprised? Didn't know there was such a place. Why ARE you not surprised. Just curious.

Btw, our stock Goodyears are suckie, in that after 15K, there is no more than 5K miles max left (probably lest then 4K) in them. They tend to squeal easily while cornering, too ... even under 5mph turns. Alignment is dead on, so, go figure. We'll be glad when they're gone.

[RolandB]

I just got my 'replacement' tires rotated again last week! I feel good about the current tire situation. I had to replace my Goodyear tires at about 15,000! VERY disappointed that I had to do that! But...

I replaced them with Bridgestone Duelers and the first positive observation was how quiet things got! I have rotated and rebalanced them twice (at about 5K each time) and now have about 9,600 miles on them and had the tire dealership check the tread wear. It started out at 11/32 and is way down now... to 10/32! (Actually a random of one tire showed it to be 11/32s... no wear!)

Bottom line... the Goodyears weren't the best! Probably equally important is that they took the wrap for bad alignment from Lexus. It took 2 visits to get the alignment right! Sure, lots of things can knock a car out of alignment but my 'not-lol' bride is not one to put her car through such. I'd almost recommend everyone have their wheels realigned periodically! 1 - 1 1/2 years maybe. Possibly at day one take it in!

Also, the dealership does not, I repeat, DOES NOT, check air pressure in the spare as part of their 5K maintenance. Too much trouble?? Too much stuff in the trunk?? Not fun to lower on RX400h??? Who knows but they haven't checked mine! I periodically do as a part of my 'vacuum the trunk' routine!

I still burn a bit when I recall the service manager's comment that 15K is about all they expect on their RX3xx SUVs. Don't know why?

As a last 'tire' comment, the TPS or lack thereof on the RX400h is the cause of a ruined tire and almost stranded bride! She was not aware of a flat rear tire and drove on a freeway before realizing something wasn't right. Had it been a front tire, she most likely would have sensed the car pulling to one side but the rear tire didn't send her any signal! The only other major shortcoming has been a 'miles remaining' indicator like I have on my LS400! With the big emphasis on 'Don't run out of gas', one would have expected a lot more than a 3 mm square amber light on the indicator panel!

'nuf sed!

[Grape]

I'm so glad to find the forum. I need your help. Here is my story.

I bought my 2006 RX 400H with Goodyear tires in August of 2005. A year later, I took the car to dealer for 5K service. (mostly local mileage). I noticed one front tire was leaking slowly, so I told the service guy about it. However, after the service, I was told no leak was found.

After a while, I still noticed the slow leak again, but since I'm busy, I just pumped air in once a while. In Feb. of 2007, At 8500 mileage, I decided to take the car to dealer, after they checked my car, I was told the two front tires wore out completely, so I had them replaced, they put 2 new Goodyear tires again. It costs me $530. I paid using my credit card.

After talking to my friends, I was told it's not possible that tires only last 8500 miles. I called the service manager of the dealer. He decided to refund me half of the cost, that's about $260. He asked me to stop by the dealer and sign a form to get the refund back. A week later, I stopped by the dealer in order to get the refund. However, instead of giving me refund, they decided to replace all 4 tires(2 new front tires and 2 old back

tires) with Michelin MXV4 S8 tires. I was told that they found Goodyear tires doesn't go well with RX 400H. It doesn't last long. I don't know anything about tires, I supposed such expensive car should have good quality tires. Should I ask for the money back? What's the warranty of the tires? Thanks for your help. Please advise.